The Light Fantastic (1952)
"Love Is Better Than Ever" (original title)

The dancing teacher Anastasia falls in love with the smart theatre agent Jud. He likes her, too, but does not want to give up his solo life at all. Thus she plans a trap for him...

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writer:

Ruth Brooks Flippen

Stars:

Larry Parks, Elizabeth Taylor, Josephine Hutchinson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Larry Parks	...	Jud Parker
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Anastacia (Stacie) Macaboy
Josephine Hutchinson	...	Mrs. Macaboy
Tom Tully	...	Mr. Charles E. Macaboy
Ann Doran	...	Mrs. Levoy
Elinor Donahue	...	Pattie Marie Levoy
Kathleen Freeman	...	Mrs. Kahrney
Doreen McCann	...	Albertina Kahrney
Alex Gerry	...	Hamlet
Dick Wessel	...	Smitty

Storyline

The dancing teacher Anastasia falls in love with the smart theatre agent Jud. He likes her, too, but does not want to give up his solo life at all. Thus she plans a trap for him...

---

Plot Keywords:

love | theater | baseball | dance school | talent agent | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 February 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Melhor é Casar

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1951 star Larry Parks was among the first Hollywood personalities to admit that he had been a member of the Communist Party, in testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was subsequently among those blacklisted in Hollywood, and the release of this film was delayed as a result.

---

Quotes

Anastacia Macaboy: I had no idea you had to work this hard to get married!

---

Soundtracks

"The Irish Washerwoman"
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

Liz, the unlucky beauty in a classic mismatch…

In "The Big Hangover," Liz is the boss' beautiful daughter; in "Conspirator," she's an immature young wife in love; in "The Girl Who Had Everything," she's the daughter of a wealthy criminal lawyer, but in "Love Is Better Than Ever," she is a young dance school teacher from New Haven who comes to the big city for a convention and falls for a smart talent agent…

In these four films, Taylor is cast as the innocent who selects the wrong guy and the unlucky beauty in a classic mismatch…

In both "Love Is Better Than Ever" and "The Girl Who Had Everything," she's a spirited young lady with a mind of her own… In the former, she defies her small-town upbringing as she romances a city swindler… In the latter, she challenges her father in order to run off with a bon vivant with underworld connections… In "Conspirator," the misfortune girl marries a Communist… In "The Big Hangover," she's engaged to a man with a drinking problem… And in "Elephant Walk," her husband is a wealthy and potent planter with a really bad temper…

These five ladies are variations on the young innocent star who thinks she knows more than she does… In each movie, she has to be educated… The wildly careless spirit has to be limited and corrected…

In "Love Is Better Than Ever," Liz is even more provincial, an innocent tempted but never corrupted by big city frivolous amusement, a teasing beauty who falls for a cheerful bachelor... Liz is once again the determined pursuer, setting her sights on a man who does not want to marry… Shameless and stubborn, she decides to announce her engagement, hoping that fiction may stimulate fact…